Rough Start To 2012 Olympic Bid For U.S.

ORLANDO, FL – The 10 cities that hope to bring the 2012 Olympic Games to the United States had their first lesson in Olympics 101: Stay loose. After months of thinking that the American candidate would be picked in the fall of 2000, the contenders were told that the deadline had been pushed back to 2002. Several complained they never were informed of the change before the U.S. Olympic Committee’s board voted unanimously to go for a record ninth Games on the revised schedule. The USOC will make its decision in the fall of 2002, well after the Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Committee officials said the later date would help assure that the Salt Lake Games were the best possible, and was still three years ahead of the vote by the International Olympic Committee in which the 2012 site will be chosen. Other cities bidding for 2012 include Arlington, Baltimore, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Tampa, and Washington. All have paid deposits of $100,000-$150,000 to enter the race.